The Twilight Saga: Moonlight
by Micro Magic
Summary: A new year of school stretches out before Renesmee and her family. But things never tend to get easy for the Cullens, no matter how badly they want it.
1. Prologue: No Time

**PROLOGUE: NO TIME**

**Attention: _To __my dear fans, I have decided to try and make a sequel of _The Twilight Saga - Blinking Star_. However, there is no guarantee that I will be able to finish it. But I will give it a shot._**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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**Renesmee**

There were things I never thought about before.

Things I didn't want to think about. But time didn't give me much of a choice. As I stared into the killer eyes, the days when I didn't think about them seemed longer than yesterday. The thoughts ran through my mind in that very moment, forcing my attention.

My mind raced through the images of my family, Jacob, and everyone else in my life. I began to categorize them. My mom and dad who loved me since before I was born. Jacob, the man who imprinted on me and became my soul mate. My vampire family that accepted me as one of their own. Martie, my first human friend since I moved to Cloverdale. And then there were some others...

But before I could make out more, my time had run out. The wolf bared its deadly fangs at me, knowing that his strength would be much stronger than mine. And there was nothing I could do to stop him. Blood rushed through my veins like a strong current, and my heart rate increased by 10 times.

And then the wolf lunged for my life.


	2. Breed

**CHAPTER 1: BREED**

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**Renesmee**

Bella - my mother - waited on top of a thick tree branch until I finished the boar.

_Ugh. How disgusting,_ I thought to myself and wiped off the blood on my chin.

I will wrestle with a jaguar next time than eat a boar. They smelled really bad. Even their blood didn't taste quite as good as a coyote.

"Animals," I murmured.

"You wanna hunt some more, Honey?" Mom asked. She jumped down from the tree and dropped the dead golden lion tamarin.

I shook my head. "No, I'm done. Let's go back to the cottage. We gotta pack, anyway."

She nodded. Obviously she was excited to go back, too. We hadn't seen Grandpa Charlie or Grandma Sue since Jacob's dad's funeral last year. What made her more excited though, was that Grandma Renée would be there, too. Dad had persuaded her to fly to Washington with Grandpa Charlie's birthday as the perfect excuse to avoid meeting her in sunny Florida. Vampires were forbidden to be seen in sunny daylight.

Forks was known for its cloudy atmosphere. But most of all, it was the town where I and my mom were born in. Jacob, my soul mate, was born on the Quileute reservation near Forks.

Forks was our hometown. But we couldn't move back for the time being. Other than the Quileutes' secret council and Grandpa Charlie, no inhabitants knew about my family's inability to age. Jacob was a wolf-shape-shifter of his tribe, and as long as he phased on a frequent basis, the magic in him will keep his aging at bay. My aging had seized since I turned seven last year (half-vampires' lifespans were expanded to over centuries).

We were back at the cottage in twenty-five minutes. My dad, Jacob, my uncles Emmett and Jasper; and aunts Alice and Rosalie, all came out to greet us.

"How'd it go?" Uncle Emmett asked. "Did ya catch a big somethin'-somethin'?"

"Nessie caught a little boar," Mom answered.

I grinned. My nickname had stuck with me for all my life that I didn't question why I was nicknamed after the Loch Ness Monster.

Jacob smiled widely - my favorite expression on his face. "How was it?" he asked.

I winced, then. The memory of its smell and taste was very repulsive.

Dad chuckled as he read it in my mind with his power to read any person's thoughts, except my mom's (her mind-shielding power was an exception to no one but me).

"Is everything set for the trip?" I asked.

Dad nodded.

We entered the living room. Grandma was packing the last luggage and Grandpa was finishing his thesis research that he had to send to Dr. Stephens before tomorrow.

Dad turned toward the door. By the time I turned around, what grabbed his attention was already in the living room.

I sighed. Unlike my family, the lack of discipline to knock was part of the Amazon coven's lifestyle, just like their animalistic movements. But that didn't annoy me any less.

Their eyes glowed with a deep red - the color of vampires who'd recently fed, glowing with human blood in their system. My family had yellow eyes, because they were all vegetarians - vampires who fed on animals instead of humans. I inherited the chocolate brown from my human side.

My newest aunt June had the bright red eyes of a newly-turned vampire (a newborn as they called it). As I remembered, it took months before my mom's red eyes changed to gold. June joined our family in February, so her eyes were probably amber yellow by now. I hadn't seen her since she and my Uncle Tommy went exploring in the Pacific Ocean since their wedding two months ago. I couldn't wait to see them back home next week.

Jacob eyed at them with a restless expression, but did nothing.

"Nessie," Zafrina said with a smile across her face, totally ignoring Jacob. "Look who we've brought."

When I paid attention, the sound of a racing heart echoed into my ears. And then the owner stepped inside. I recognized him at once. He looked exactly the same after 8 years. Then again, _Nahuel_ was a hybrid, too.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted with a polite grin and glanced at every member of my family, hardening slightly when he looked at Mom and Dad, before settling on me. Everyone waved and greeted back.

"Hello, Nahuel," I said. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too, Renesmee. You look healthy."

A rough but quiet grumble echoed into my ears. When I turned to look at Jake, his expression was unreadable. I wondered what was on his mind. Maybe I should ask him later.

"So what brings you here, Nahuel?" Aunt Alice asked.

"I caught your scent back at the Pantanel, and realized you were in the area. So I decided to pay a visit."

"That's very nice of you, Nahuel," Grandma said politely.

"Where's your aunt?" Aunt Alice asked.

"She's close by." His teak brown eyes flickered to Jacob for a short second. I didn't want to imagine what Nahuel's vampire aunt would be doing 'close by'. Then he faced me with a smile. In that moment, I realized how handsome he really was. Almost like my dad and the rest of my family. Jacob was different, he was handsome with his own imperfection.

"I should head back, Huilen is expecting me." He turned toward the door. He stopped at the entrance and looked over his shoulder. "It was nice to see you all again," he said with a wave.

"You, too," Uncle Emmett said back.

"Take care of yourself," Mom said.

He looked at her with incredulous eyes. I didn't know what it was about, but it was creepy to watch. His glance shifted to me. "See you again, Renesmee," he said to me politely.

I nodded. "Yes, see you again."

He took off then.

Jacob had his arms across his chest

Dad chuckled quietly.

"What?" Uncle Emmett asked before I turned around to ask the same question.

**Bella**

I went back to packing the last luggages after Nessie and Jake went to sleep.

Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri went back to their side of the country. The rest of my family went hunting. I wondered how had been for Thomas and June. The last time Alice saw them in her premonitions, they were treasure hunting near the coast line of Guam.

"Is there something on your mind, Bella?" Edward asked. I didn't even know he was behind me, but now he was leaning against the wall near the kitchen. His face flashed with his glorious grin.

I shrugged. "Just thinking about Thomas and June. Wondering what they're doing right now."

He smiled. "I'm sure they're fine. Thomas is strong. They can handle anything."

I smiled widely. His reassurance made think about something else. Something much, much more pleasant. I started looking forward to it.

Edward must have noticed my change of expression, too, because he asked, "what?" again. I was sure he wanted to know what I was thinking about. I darted to his side, pressed my hands on his face and then removed my shield. I thought back to my favorite location in the world. The place where I first saw Edward in daylight. The memory was muddy and weak but stronger than most of the others. His body shined like the image of a glorious god.

His lips suddenly crushed against mine, interrupting my concentration, and I was absorbed by his touch, and my shield shut him out again.


	3. Home

**CHAPTER 2: HOME**

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**Jacob**

When I opened my eyes, the first thing they did was search aimlessly through the fading darkness. My consciousness caught up with it after a few seconds. Somehow my eyes had sensed what was missing before my consciousness did.

The invisible magnetic pull that tied me to the one thing that was important to me stirred towards another side of the cabin. Towards _her_.

I was about to remove my sheet and rush to her side... until a new thought struck my mind as quickly as lightning: it may not be a problem for me, but it would discourage Edward's and Bella's confidence of my being the boyfriend of their daughter. Plus, what kind of boyfriend would sneak into his girl's room to watch her sleep. That would be highly inappropriate.

Since Edward could hear anyone's thoughts within a 5 mile radius, I realized he must have noticed that I was awake by now. If I tried to be close to his daughter at this hour, he would definitely _neuter_ me.

If night time was all that kept us apart, then I could surely endure the torment of separation while waiting for daybreak to come. Until then, I will remain in my bed. Fantasizing her face. The softness of her warm skin, the radiance of her unique brown eyes, the excitement of her touch...

I shook my head as I snapped myself out of the fantasy. It was beginning to feel a little much. If I'd let that thought take too far, I wasn't sure if I could leave her be until she woke up.

I closed my eyes, trying to imagine as light yet clear as possible of her figure.

**Renesmee**

"We'll see you after the weekend, Esme," Dad said as he hugged Grandma.

We arrived at the Washington airport at 1pm. Dad had rented a car and a minivan (Jake was a little too big to fit into a regular-sized car). Mom and I were the only ones who decided to sit in the minivan with Jake and Dad.

As soon as we hit the highway, Dad accelerated the rented vehicle to full speed. Going 100 miles an hour, we reached Forks in a half-hour.

**Bella**

Forks. My old home.

The small town where my parents met, where Renesmee and I were born. Where I met Edward. The town where everything began.

I remembered it all like it was yesterday.

Mostly in blurry human memories, I remembered the first day I came here. It wasn't my favorite place in the world back then; I hated everything cold and wet, especially rain and snow. I'd only come because my mother was newly married to her second husband, who traveled around for his job. I realized how I was holding her back, and decided to move back here for the rest of my school years.

I didn't think there was any possible way of brightening my days here. God, I couldn't believe how wrong I was. On that very first day at school, that's when I saw Edward. The most brilliant and handomest being I've ever laid eyes on. No one could ever compare to him. No one in my life, anyway. I still remembered the brightness illuminated from his perfect face, his bronze hair, and his rose-red lips when I first saw him and his siblings in the cafeteria. The beauty of an angel. The feeling wasn't genuine, though. He was the most uncomfortable to be around on that first day. His jet black eyes glared at me like a predator waiting to attack his prey. It wasn't until much later that I realized it wasn't his fault. It was the smell of my blood that made him uncomfortable. I was too appetizing for him - _way_ too appetizing. A thousand times more intense than I did to other vampires.

But that didn't stop him from loving me, and me him. And it didn't stop us from wanting each other so badly that we did whatever it took to be together. I used months to try and persuade him to turn me into a vampire to be with him forever, and he risked everything to keep from losing control with me. I was too fragile at that time.

Together, we faced pain, loss, death and heartaches that had me killed from the inside. The one thing that did not die was our love.

I'd become a part of him just as much as he'd become a part of me. Jacob was also an irreplaceable part of my life, but not as irreplaceable as Edward.

That was what made me so happy when I found out I was pregnant, and what made me decide to face death one last time before I became a vampire. Renesmee wasn't just my daughter; she was Edward's daughter, too. The priceless treasure of our love. More precious than anything else, because she was both part of me and of Edward.

And then I joined his world. This was a decision I never regretted making, even though it meant giving up a lot at that time. It meant I got to be with the person that I loved.

And that was worth any price.

**Edward**

The feeling of nostalgia cleared like crystal as we neared the Swan house.

This was where Bella lived as a human. The place where I visited her in her sleep for the first time, where I first realized how deeply in love I was with her. So deep that there was no way out of it. And I didn't want a way out.

_We're here,_ Jacob thought when we parked the cars.

Charlie, Seth and Sue had already come out the front door.

_Here they are,_ Sue thought and waved. "Hey, everyone," she said.

Charlie's unclear thoughts were filled with excitement hidden from his face. He must be really happy to have his daughter and granddaughter spend his birthday with him.

Nessie's thoughts were on the same channel.

_There he is. Grandpa,_ she thought and touched Bella to share her thoughts.

"Yeah, there he is," she replied.

Jacob looked out the window. His thoughts weren't quite as pleasant to the nostalgia. The last time he was in town, he buried his father. I hoped he would feel better when he got home.

Charlie embraced Bella as soon as they left the car.

"Hi, Sweetie," Charlie mumbled in Bella's ear. His excitement was well hidden in his voice.

"Happy birthday, Dad," she mumbled back.

Sue hugged Nessie, while Seth jokingly punched Jacob's shoulder.

"Good to see you, man," he said excitingly.

"You too, Seth," Jacob replied.

Then he looked past Jacob to glance at me. "Hi, Edward."

"Hi," I replied.

When Charlie released Bella, he turned his attention to Nessie. "Good to see you, little girl."

"I'm not little anymore, Grandpa," Nessie complained, but proceeded to hug him.

He pulled away to examine her. "Yeah, you're right. I-I just can't believe you're all grown up now. It's only been what, eight years. You grow faster than I work on my files in the office." We all burst in laughter. "Jacob," he acknowledged.

"Hi, Charlie, happy birthday," he greeted politely.

"How are you?" Everyone knew what he meant. _How are you after all this time?_ Even Seth and Sue's thoughts were on the same line.

"I'm fine, thank you." His thoughts focused on me then. _Tell them it doesn't hurt so much anymore, okay?_

He didn't know if I could hear him, but if anyone asked, I will certainly tell the truth.

Charlie redirected his glance to me and nodded politely. "Edward."

"Hey, Charlie, how are you?" I said and shook his hand very carefully. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you. Can't believe I'm already so old... and you guys are..."

"Definitely a perk," Jacob interjected as lightly as he could.

"Hey, come on, let's get inside," Seth said and took the luggage in Jacob's hands. "We got a whole weekend to talk, surely two minutes to walk into the house wouldn't kill anyone."

Sue, Charlie, Nessie and Bella laughed at his assessment. Jacob and I were grinning. He really knew how to make things comfortable for himself.

_Man, Seth's always such a kid,_ Jake thought, ignoring my awareness.

Sue put the cherry-baked birthday cake on the table. Charlie sliced it very roughly after blowing out the candles, some pieces were ruined by the knife.

It probably tasted good, if Bella and I were able to enjoy it like the rest of them. We were the only ones who pretended to eat the pieces. At some point, we will have to use the bathroom excuse to cough it up. Jacob watched us swallow with incredulous eyes, like he watching the biggest eating contest in history.

After the cake, it was time for presents. The birthday man didn't seem to like it much, though. His thoughts were on a negative line. I grinned internally at the similarities he shared with Bella. She gave her present first.

"A brand new fishing pole, huh?" Charlie said. "Thanks, Bells. I love it."

"I figured you would, you're so predictable," she teased.

Nessie's present was a photo frame made of wood and seashells; he could have it on his desk at the office or anywhere in the house. Seth had just spent two weeks of his paycheck to get his stepfather a book about ice fishing and the different types of fish. He wasn't much of the book reading type, but this one might pique his interest. I handed him the mounted salmon plaque.

"Why, thank you, Edward," he said while examining the present. His thoughts were fuzzy enough to hide how much he liked it, but at least he did like it.

"You're welcome," I said.

_Nice, man,_ Seth commented with his thoughts.

Charlie, Jacob, Seth, and I spent the next few hours watching a football game on the second-hand flatscreen that a deputy had sold to Charlie. Renesmee was reading some books that Bella had left behind, which were placed in the storage, though she occasionally eyed at Jacob, who would return her stare. Sue and Bella cleaned the table and did the dishes together, and then went on to making casual conversations on the couch.

When the evening neared its end, Jacob prepared to go home. I borrowed him my car keys. He tried to hide it, but the sadness of the loss was clear. Even if Bella had blocked his thoughts from my hearing, I was sure it would be visible on his face.

"I'll go with you," Seth offered. Then he turned around. "Mom, is it okay if I spend the night at the Blacks'?"

"Of course," she agreed.

Nessie wasn't too happy about it, but she allowed it to slide; she was well aware of our family's boundaries. No one in our family was allowed in the Quileute lands.

Seth turned to leave, but then turned around as realization hit him spontaneously. "Oh, and Nessie. I've prepared the room for you. Don't worry, it doesn't smell."

She laughed. _Man, my stepuncle is so funny. Funnier than my Uncle Emmett._ And then she said, "See you later."

**Jacob**

My sister and brother-in-law, Rachel and Paul, waited on the front yard. Little Lydia was resting in Paul's arms.

"Hey, Jake," Rachel whispered and then hugged me. "I've missed you."

"Hi, Rach," I greeted.

Paul touched my stomach instead of punching it. He was careful not to disturb the baby. "Good to see ya, bro," he said.

I nodded. Then he handed Rachel the baby and helped me unload the car trunk.

His nose wiggled at the smell of vampire. "Urgh, I don't get it. How can you stand it?" he complained. "I never liked being around any of them."

I chuckled. The memory of disgust and despise was as distant as the years. I'd gotten used to it for so long I didn't even remember how I got used to it in the first place. So I just said, "It's a matter of practice."

"And the fact that your soulmate's half-vampire has nothing to do with it."

I didn't like his accusation.

"Whoa, take it easy, Paul, that half-vampire's family saved your life, be grateful," Seth interrupted and took the bag from Paul's hand.

"I _am_ grateful."

My moment of contentment and irritation faded away when I looked back at the old house. The lights inside stirred the nostalgia that I thought had been long gone; the feeling that someone was waiting for me to come home and tell me what I should be doing instead of complaining about the side effects of being a shape-shifter who could turn into a huge, muscular wolf. The loss of chances to be with the girl I once loved...

Yep. The nostalgia was there.

Come to think of it, it was a wonder how everything changed now.

When Bella and I were still teenagers, I fell for her so deeply that I fought for her against Edward. It took more than a few dirty psychological tricks to make her admit her feelings for me, but I got there at the end. But even though she still chose the vamp over me, I probably never would've been as happy. When she gave birth to Renesmee, I looked into her eyes. That was when it happened. I imprinted on her, becoming her one and only soul mate. It was then I realized the reason to why I was never drawn to Bella like the way I was when she was pregnant. We felt the bond through the baby. Because of Renesmee. We were inseparable. Destined for each other.

It was then I freed myself from my love for Bella. The connection was still there, and always will be, but it wasn't as grand and unwavering as my love for _her_. It was also then I freed myself from hatred for the vampire who took Bella away from me. Without him, without Edward, she would never have been born. From that moment forward, I became more connected with the Cullens, her vampiric family, and came to love all of them.

"Home, sweet home," Paul said after he stepped inside the door.

I walked inside, and spotted the renovated hall. When I removed my shoes and entered the living room, things were even more different than I thought. The old-fashioned television was gone. Instead a big flatscreen about double the length of the old TV was hanging on a wall. The shelves were stocked with books and work arts that Rach had made during pastime. There were also stuffed animals and small trinkets laid on the floor. Presents for little Lydia, I imagined. A playpen rested right next to a wall at the windows.

The only things that were still here were the wallpapers, the furniture, and the picture of me and Dad at the window. It was weird to see the house this way. So much had changed since I moved away from La Push. Most of all, my old man wasn't here to wait for my visits anymore.

Thinking about him stung.

"Jake, you alright?" Paul asked.

I forced myself to smile and pushed away the sadness. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

And then I went to sit on the sofa and watch Rachel put the baby into the playpen.


	4. The Best Place

**CHAPTER 3: THE BEST PLACE**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

**Message: _Sorry for not adding anything for such a long time, but I have been unable to come up with anything in months, plus the pressure around made it hard._**

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**Bella**

"Where are you going?" Renesmee asked before Edward and I stepped out the door. Charlie and Sue were finishing up the breakfast dishes in the kitchen.

We decided to visit the one place we hadn't seen in four years. The last time we were in town, we were attending Billy's funeral; there hadn't been much time. Plus the temperature of autumn had already begun to wither away nature. Now that it was late summer, there would be no better time to visit it. Edward suggested that we check out the place two days ago.

He was eager to see it again. And to be honest, I wanted to check it out, too.

"We're just going to a place we haven't seen in a long time, Sweetie," I answered. "We'll be back before your Grandma Renée arrives."

She nodded. That was my girl. Always so understanding and trusting. How proud I am to have her as my daughter.

I took one last moment to adore her before I followed Edward to the car.

We ran through the dank woods at full speed.

Edward slowed his speed to let me keep up with him. I knew he was trying to be gentle, but it only made me feel like I was being pampered.

* * *

We reached the meadow in a less than two minutes.

I inhaled the air through my frozen lungs as soon as we made it out the thick trees. The little meadow was exactly as I remembered: perfectly around as ever, and filled with multi-colored wild flowers that reflected the clear sunlight up ahead and brightened up the entire place.

"I sure missed this place," Edward said.

When I turned to him, his face dazed me even more than the meadow. The sunlight reflected from his glittering face as if thousands of small diamonds were embedded on it. He looked exactly like a glorious Greek god. So dazzling, so handsome. So eternal.

His lips curled up to brighten his already glorious face, dazzling me even more.

"So beautiful," he muttered through his smile. His eyes completely mesmerized on mine, as I was on his.

I remembered the first time I visited this place with him, through it was in my human years - but even those weak, fuzzy memories could not block out the glory of Edward's beauty. This was where he showed me his illumination for the first time. I remembered how mesmerized I was when he nervously stepped into the light, his eyes fixed on me with worry, as if he was afraid I would run away, screaming, if I saw his sparkle. Even after all those years, his beauty never ceased to dazzle me to the point where I melted: I could look into his face forever. He could never stop wondering how I could love someone like him; but the truth is, I couldn't understand how someone like him could love me either.

"I love you," I declared. "Forever."

"I love you, too," he replied with glorious eyes.

I reached up with my toes to touch his lips with mine. His hands slipped around my hips as he pulled me in and found their way under my shirt. And then we forgot about the meadow altogether.

**Renesmee**

Jacob and his family came over to the house one hour after breakfast. Seth came with them, but only to prepare himself for his shift at the souvenir shop and then took off.

Jake's baby niece, Lydia, was the center of attention. She had the same set of hair and eyes of her parents, but her chin was identical to Jacob's - I imagined it was because she inherited it from her grandfather. The one she never got to meet.

Mom and Dad got back a half-hour before Grandma Renée and Grandpa Phil arrived.

"Oh, Sweetie," Grandma said loudly (and tearfully) the second she spotted Mom and pulled her into a tight hug, and then pulled away just as quickly. "Wow, you're so cold. Did you get a cold or something?" she asked in a worried voice.

"I'm fine, Mom," she replied reluctantly and pulled away before Grandma's hand could touch her forehead.

Dad came forward to greet her, "It's good to see you again, Renée."

Their hug was quick.

And then she spotted me. "Nessie," she crooned as she hugged me. I must be much warmer than Mom, because she didn't pull away for a very long second.

"Hi, Grandma," I said back.

Getting through the next hours were a little bit harder than I anticipated. Grandma Renée held endless conversations with me, Grandma Sue, Mom, Dad, and Rachel; Grandpa Charlie, on the other hand, held a very casual conversation with Grandpa Phil about football and baseball. Paul was busy watching the baby, but he anticipated in the conversation occasionally. Jacob listened and talked with them, but his glance shot in my direction every now and then.

I knew what he wanted. Lone time. I knew what he wanted because I wanted the same.

We spend time together everyday, but somehow, we just couldn't seem to get enough. Or at least, begin to yearn for some lone time together after a day or two.

I turned to Dad. His gift to read minds made it inevitable for him to not hear everything that I thought about. Mom was the only one to _ever_ hide her thoughts from him, or hide others' thoughts from him if she wanted. He gave me a gentle grin: an approval. And then he nudged his head slightly to keep Grandma Renée from noticing the silent conversation between us.

_Thanks, Dad._

I rose from my seat and told them Jacob and I were taking a hike.

"A hike in the rainy weather? You'll catch a cold, dear," Grandma Renée said.

"Don't worry, Grandma," I countered. "We'll be careful not to get sick. Mom and Dad have jobs to get back to."

Mom pursed her lips. She was never good at lying, and now she had to lie flat to keep her own mother in the dark about the supernatural world.

Jacob waited till we were out the door to ask where I wanted to go. I showed him.

"Let's go."

* * *

Our heads resurfaced from the underwater tunnel. Jacob got out of the water and then pulled me out. Not that I needed assistance: he was just being a gentleman. Just like how he hid behind a tree when we took off our clothes before jumping off the cliff to reach here.

The underwater cave was just as I remembered the last time we were here. The mood was different; he had just buried his father, and I decided to show him this place to try to cheer him up. It was here I discovered my feelings for him. It was here we declared our love. It was here we shared our first kiss. Hard as it was to believe, it felt exactly like living in a world of fairytale - the place where everything was enchanting and perfect.

Jacob stared at me, like he was thinking about the same thing. His lips curled into a smile.

"I missed this place," he said.

I smiled widely at him and touched his face to show my genuine feelings. He pressed his lips against mine; the sensation went through my whole body. I welcomed it.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

Our kiss joined our bodies, making us the most illuminent of all existences. Everything around us became enchanting in that one moment. Our love was the string that bound us together, and we savored it above everything else.


	5. Welcome Home

**CHAPTER 4: WELCOME HOME**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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**Renesmee**

Grandpa Charlie and Mom hugged as they said goodbye.

It was time to go back to Cloverdale. To our lives.

Grandma Renée and Grandpa Phil left one hour early, much to Grandma's dismay. She was unwilling to let Mom go for several seconds. Mom wasn't eager to let her go, either: probably because they hadn't seen each other for so many years. And now, after 8 years, all they got was one weekend together, and then no one knew how long it will take before they could see each other again. But Mom could not tell her that she was no longer aging, so I hoped it will not take too long for them to meet again. Soon enough for Grandma Renée to not notice the difference.

Jacob and Dad waited on the porch, on a conversation with Seth and Grandma Sue.

"I'm gonna miss you, Nessie," Grandpa Charlie said as he hugged me.

_I'll miss you, too,_ I thought. "We'll always have Facebook and webcams. I just taught you how to use them, didn't I?"

He sighed. "Technology's not on my best side."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Seth'll help you out if you have trouble with that. Besides, we'll come back for Christmas."

We hugged again.

Mom hugged him one last time, wished him happy birthday, and then we left Forks.

* * *

Dad smiled when we took an L-turn toward the house.

"What is it?" Mom asked.

He glanced at her, and then turned over his shoulder at me. "Tommy's home."

"What?" Jake and I said in unison.

"They came back early. Emmett's enjoying his rock-hammer that Thomas has made for him. I can practically hear him scream in his thoughts."

They're home.

Sounds echoed from behind the house. We reached the house in twenty seconds. I jumped out of the car as soon as Dad pulled it to a stop, and darted around the house into the woods. And there they were. Grandma, Grandpa, June, Uncle Jasper, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie rested on a large boulder while Uncle Emmett and Tommy played dual with double human-sized hammers in their hands. The weight of those carved stones would have crushed a human, but nothing a vampire's solid-hard skin couldn't take.

Tommy turned to me before I set foot into the muddy ground. My running came to an abrupt halt when Uncle Emmett suddenly swung his hammer directly into Tommy's head. It shattered as soon as they collided; the force sent him flying into a tree and took it down with him. He gave an angry look as he flipped himself back up. June growled so loudly she sounded like a mountain lion. And then he disappeared. Just like that. _Poof_.

Then Uncle Emmett's head threw back, and he landed on the muddy ground, like something had hit him. Except there hadn't. Tommy probably did that: he had the power to project any kind of illusion he pleased and they usually seemed very real. No one was immune to his power except my mom or those she protected.

When I looked around for Tommy, he had reappeared; exactly where he was before. And laughing. The huge rock-hammer was now a million pieces of rubble on the ground.

"Sore loser," Uncle Emmett complained as he jumped back on his feet.

"Hey, you use what you got," he said with a shrug. "Besides, what's the point of having powers if you don't use them?" He turned to me. "Good to see you again, Nessie."

His arms opened in time for me to dart into them.

"Welcome home, Tommy," I said.

When I pulled away, the others were around us. June, my newest aunt, smiled from a distance. She probably didn't want to play too closely with fire, especially the one that was always burning in her throat.

A warming arm seethed across my shoulders: I knew it was Jacob's. His touch was always warm.

"Welcome home, Tommy," he greeted with a wide smile spread across his face.

"Welcome home, brother," Dad said, patting his shoulder.

"It's good to be home," he replied.

Mom and Dad turned their glances to June. "And welcome to the family, June," he said with a polite grin.

She gave back a smile and then started humming. The magic of her voice started seething into my ears. I wanted to hear more.

In that moment, I knew everyone was together again.

"Well, come on," Tommy said loudly, and waved his arms at the others. "Don't think you're getting away with it. Family hug. C'mon, c'mon, family hug."

Mom and Dad moved in first, and then the rest of our family joined in. Aunt Alice giggled. June continued to hum, but she joined in, too.


	6. Magic

**CHAPTER 5: MAGIC**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

**June**

I put the backpacks on the living room table and unloaded them. Sam picked up the trinkets we collected from sunken ships throughout the Pacific Ocean.

"For you, Eddie." He handed him a golden ring.

"Thank you, Thomas," he said.

Since he knew Carlisle loved to collect art, he got a painting that was surprisingly well-preserved; Nessie got a pair of matching hair-clips with emeralds embedded in the center; Alice thanked us before she got hers. Apparently, she'd already seen her jewelry box; Rosalie thanked for her jewelry box that contained diamonds and pearls; Esme a piece of wood ripped off a beautifully carved wall, a golden necklace, and a set of aquamarine diamonds; Bella, as I was told, did not enjoy gifts, but she politely thanked for her diamond bracelet; Emmett was eager to play with his sword as soon as he realized it was for him and started swinging it at Jasper's staff.

Jacob eyed warily at me when I handed him the elven star pin. I didn't know what had made him so uneasy around me, but at least he was polite. He probably did it to avoid hurting my feelings. When I was still human and turned away by Sam, he was the one who took me in and let me live with him until things changed. Until I became a vampire and married Sam. In time, hopefully he will learn to get past his issues with me.

"C'mon, you've got to see this," Alice urged as she pulled us up to the attic after we put away the rest of the treasure.

She pushed open the door _very_ lightly.

The inside was what amazed me. A grand white two-persons bed rested at the end of the room. The setting was more beautiful than I remembered, even though it was my time as a human.

"Wow," I muttered, amazed.

"There's more," she said, and opened another door.

A closet, I realized. It was bigger than the bedroom, and already stocked with clothes.

"Is that really necessary?" Sam complained.

"Well, you're in no position to protest now," she countered. "You two'll be sharing this room for quite some time. So suck it up, 'cause it won't help even if you hide behind Nessie or Jacob for this."

He sighed. "Good to see you, too, Phoebe."

She giggled. She seemed to have grown adept to the nickname (it was derived from a main character of _Charmed_).

I was too busy examining the closet. Satin gowns, shoes, accessories, and shirts. Some of them reminded me of elegant princess dresses that existed in movies. My voice automatically started humming.

**Edward**

I sat by the piano. Everyone's happy thoughts flooded in my mind - not overwhelming, of course - and made me want to do something. Perhaps it was June's magic voice; her voice really was enchanting. Anyone who heard it was taken in by the enchantment: it made the environment look magical in ways only children would feel when they were watching a Disney movie: Emmett lost his grudge against Thomas when he heard it, and everyone else felt the same joy that she did. The joy of home. It reminded me of being in love.

With _her_, nothing could be more right.

My fingers moved on the keys and played my first favorite lullaby. Everyone listened in: Thomas and June, who were busy handing out treasures they'd uncovered from the Pacific ocean, stopped and listened as well.

_What a lovely tune,_ June thought. _It's like I'm reminded of the feeling of being in love._

I laughed, and continued playing.

_Dad's song to Mom, I love it,_ Nessie thought.

Footsteps moved in from behind. The silence of thoughts told me who it was, so I had no problem when a hand touched my neck. It only felt more comfortable, more right.

"I love you," she said.

_I love you, too._

* * *

We spent the weekend hunting and teaching June how to act human. Education was in place now that she was one of us: a vampire. She was mature for a newborn (a newly-turned vampire). Though the scent of blood was hard on her, her restraint was to be reckoned with.

"Sam's been training me with human bloodbags," she explained one night. Her face scrunched as the memory replayed in her mind. "It was torturing, and he even said that I didn't have to push myself, but I was determined to continue: I wanted to catch up with you guys as quickly as possible." Her maturity and determination reminded me of a certain person. I smiled widely and eyed at her at the large table playing chess with Emmett. He wouldn't play with me or Thomas or Alice, because we could _cheat_. Not that it stopped me from anticipating his moves for my wife.

Her eyes flickered to me just in time for me to hold up my thumb and index finger: our secret code for "knight vs tower". She then took Emmett's tower with her knight.

_Ugh!_ Emmett growled internally while grinding his eyebrows in frustration. _Damn. How is she so good at chess? Her skill doesn't cover that._

I fought to keep from laughing. He would be _so_ pissed if he found out I was cheating for Bella.

June noticed my split attention and followed my glance.

_Don't say anything,_ Thomas's voice sounded in her mind. She didn't even flinch at the voice: she was as used to his way of communicating as the rest of us. _Emmett doesn't like us cheating, so he'll kill you if you let him know Edward's cheating for Bella._

I fought to keep my face casual.

Alice, who was busy decorating the main hall now that she got to redecorate the house with Thomas and June's treasure, was suddenly caught off guard by a vision. I saw it, too: Peter and Charlotte, coming to town with two unfamiliar friends. And they will be staying outside of town. She dropped the trinkets to the table and rushed upstairs for find Jasper in Carlisle's library.

Everyone was suddenly alerted by her speed up the stairs.

Jacob and Renesmee, who were enjoying a good meal in the kitchen, was alerted as well.

_What's with her?_ Emmett thought, his mind no longer focused on his game.

_Did she get a fit or somethin'?_ Jacob.

_Is the Volturi coming back for us?_ Rosalie worried.

"Jazz, Peter and Charlotte are coming to visit for the weekend," she said as soon as she opened the door, almost ripping it apart. "Isn't that great?"

"When are they coming?" Jasper asked, excited as well.

"Friday."

_Ugh, great,_ Jacob complained internally. _Another freakin' vampire visit._

I couldn't blame him. Peter and Charlotte weren't like our family; they had no reverence on human life. They could not understand why we chose to substitute human blood with animal.

But Peter had known Jasper since they joined the Mexican army, and Jasper thought of him as his closest companion other than Alice and us. We will have to keep them in check while they were in town. Jacob's shape-shifting tribe was assigned with the mission to protect mankind from beings like us. The only reasons they left us alone was because of the treaty that kept them from attacking as long as we didn't bite humans; and the more binding reason: Jacob's imprinting bond with my half-human daughter Renesmee.

He would probably relax more once he found out that Renesmee wouldn't be interacting with them much: she had recently landed a part-time job at the Black Coffee Shop. It wasn't hard, considering how little population reigned Cloverdale.

_Who are they?_ June thought at the same time she asked me, "Who?"

Thomas was at her side in an instant.

"They're Jasper's closest friends," he answered in an uneasy voice. "But unlike us, they have no reverence for human life." He turned to me. _I hope they're not going to hunt in a fifty mile radius. June's still a newborn, and I don't like the idea of them hunting anywhere close at the risk of setting her off._

I bit my lip.

**June**

My new family listened to me singing _Glad to be Alive_, with Sam as my pianist. Since his musical skills weren't as good as Edward's or Renesmee's or Rosalie's, he had to use his illusory magic for additional effects. Funny enough, it matched my voice.

_First time and in so long, I realized what it meant to be with you._

_Those eyes caught my sight, they're the ones that pulled me through._

_You became the sun that brightened my night, and helped me lift off the ground._

_For a first time in so long, I feel alive._

_And I'm glad to be alive._

_You've given me life._

_Valentine's Day never meant nothing, until you came along._

_Now I see the colors of a heart in love, now that I've found my Valentine._

_For a first time in so long, I was born with life._

_And I'm glad to be alive._

_You've given me life._

_Those eyes caught my sight, they're the ones that pulled me through._

_You became the sun that brightened my night, and helped me lift off the ground._

_For a first time in so long, I feel alive._

_And I'm glad to be alive._

_I'm glad to be alive._

_You've given me life._

A long pause. And then it hit.

Everyone in the room clapped, with amazed expressions on their faces. Esme gave me a lovely expression for reasons I couldn't comprehend. I looked over my shoulder at Sam, who looked equally dazed by my performance.

My cold body felt something similar to warmth. But I knew what it was. In my human years, I was an Ace-student at Juilliard. My passion for singing had landed me multiple opportunities to perform on Broadway and other theaters. All of it was based on my passion for singing and to one day become an extraordinary singer. To hear the cheer after you know you've succeeded.

But then Sam came into my life, and I found something that never existed inside me. Even though he was an ordinary student at my old high school, there was always something inside him that gave me life. His visions of the future made me feel more alive than any performance.

My first official performance was the fairy queen of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.

That was my first musical performance on stage, and I remembered my nerves finally catching up to me. Sam noticed me when he walked by with the props.

_"What is it?"_ he asked.

_"I'm scared,"_ I admitted. _"I feel like if I'm gonna faint and I'm gonna screw up the whole performance. I don't know what to do."_

He grinned. _"That's just nerves, and it's_ natural,_"_ he said._ "And you're probably sweating and your heart's pounding like a jackhammer."_ His reminding only made me sweatier and my heart pound stronger.

_"But there's something you should know; If anyone's going to make an amazing, absolutely extraordinary performance on that stage, it's gonna be you. You know why?_

_"Because you're one of a kind, June. I've heard you sing, and I know for a fact that there's no one better than you._

_"And when you get on that stage, everyone's gonna find out how good a singer you are. Because you sing with your feelings. And those feelings are transmitted into your voice. You're enchanting, June. And there's nothing on Earth that's gonna stop your magic. As long as you dare to stand out, that is."_

I laughed. And then I looked directly into his eyes. Those eyes that were so certain, so confident, and so honest, I found myself drowned in them.

My chest swelled up in an addictively good way. I leaned down until our lips touched. The warmth of his lips sent a shockwave throughout my body, making me feel more powerful.

And that was the first time I realized that I was in love with Sam Yu.

My reminiscence was interrupted when he moved away from the piano to stand beside me.

"Our guests arrived a little early," he said with concerned golden eyes. "You ready?"

Yes, my mind screamed. With him by my side, I knew for a fact that I will always be courageous enough to face anything. To endure any hardship.

In a few days, I will be back in high school, where a whole bunch of humans will be surrounding me. The scents of blood will probably open a flaming torment in my throat. But I wasn't going to chicken out.

I'd outgrown the newborn madness earlier than most vampires, and I will withstand any torment.

I'd endured three and a half years of tormenting loneliness and loss: his family was slaughtered by a coven of nomadic vampires, and he was the only one who survived and became a vampire. Losing him ripped the world away from me; I lost my magical voice and all sense of existence. The one thing that kept me going was the determination to find him. For years, I'd felt so exhausted that I almost gave up, but I always took the alternative.

Because giving up meant leaving the world that made me feel like home. When I found him again last January, my world returned, though it wasn't the same anymore. Sam, now changed his name to Thomas, gave up on me because he was ashamed of what he had become: a vampire.

But even as an immortal creature, all I saw was _Sam_. And I knew that whatever we had to face would be worth it, because we were together.

And now we were together again. As vampires. I didn't need to sing to the world.

I just needed to sing to him.

"Yes," I answered and went to the front door to greet our house guests.


	7. New

**CHAPTER 6: NEW**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

**Jacob**

"You should've seen the crowd, they were so wild," Peter said as he told Jasper about the Nelson Bros' live concert last week in Chicago. "They were so alive. So _juicy_."

I flinched at the word.

Knowing that I was tolerating human-feeding vampires made me sick to my stomach. It went against the grain to keep my distance. The wolf inside me wanted to thrash its way out and rip them to pieces. And with Nessie at her new job at the Black Coffee Shop, I wasn't sure if I wouldn't try something.

Jasper flickered his eyes to me: he must've sensed my hatred toward his dear friends.

And then, before I knew it I was totally calm. My anger disappeared so fast I had no idea where it had gone to. But I knew where how that happened. Jasper's emotion-altering power was annoying, but not exactly unfriendly.

A humming reached into my ears, calming me more.

**Renesmee**

Here we go again. Back to school.

Peter and Charlotte left early Monday morning, much to Jake's pleasure. He was sullen the whole time they were here. At least now he could chillax.

June would be another story. She was more mature than most newborns, Grandpa had explained that, but that didn't mean we should risk it. Even June was a little edgy about it. Tommy, Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice were assigned to watch over her on our first day at school.

Tommy's long distant cousin was her cover story.

We stopped in the school parking lot. The sun was illuminating through the clouds, but it wasn't enough to keep us indoors.

June inhaled, and held her breath.

"You ready for the dish, sis?" Uncle Emmett asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

She eyed at him frustratingly. Tommy did the same.

"Don't make me unleash my wrath on you, Emmett," he warned.

"Ooh, scary."

He ignored him and stepped out of the Jeep with June.

When Jacob arrived with his motorcycle, he came to our side.

"Good morning," he said with a large grin on his face. His eyes flickered to June for a short second. She nodded politely at him, but her eyes were wary.

When Mom, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper arrived a few minutes later, we walked into the school yard.

She glanced around wearily as Tommy led her to the principal's office to get her schedule and map. Everyone looked our way, specifically at June. Probably astonished by the arrival of another student.

_"Who is she?"_ David Epps whispered.

_"I don't know,"_ Danielle.

_"Another Cullen girl,"_ Katherine. _"Man, they're all so pretty. How do they get such pale skin?"_

I chuckled lowly. She had no idea how it was done.

_"Is that another one of the Cullens' adopted kids?"_ Austin Franco whispered to someone else. _"She's beautiful."_

Then something across the lawn caught my eye. Martie, in his new haircut, was sitting at a bench with his friends, discussing whether or not he should join the football team this year. Then his eyes met mine and I waved politely. He returned with a wave of his own and a wide smile. "Hey," he said.

It was hard to say how proud I was to have Martie as a friend. He learned my family's secret in the most unconventional way, and yet he accepted us as who we were. He was my first and only human friend.

The buzzling main hall had a banner that read "Welcome Back, Students" attached to its ceiling.

"I'll see you later," Tommy said and walked away with June, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper.

Jacob dragged me away.

**June**

I clung on to Sam's arm as we headed to the principal's office. At a _very_ slow, human pace. My arm exerted so much strength that it probably would have broken a human's arm.

But I couldn't help it. I was too anxious.

I held my breath on our way to the principal's office. Everyone said I grew out of my ravageous newborn state faster than most, but that didn't mean it was easy. No matter the odds of my maturity and self-control, I was _still_ a newborn. A vampire too new to learn how to control her... urges. I tried not to think of the word.

The scents that blew in my face were more appealing than anything I'd ever smelled. Hearts pumped and...

Calm washed over me in a second. I was suddenly much more at ease than I'd been since we arrived in the parking lot.

"June," Jasper whispered. His lips curled up.

That's when I realized it was his doing. Sam told me about all their gifts; so Jasper must have used his to calm me down. And I was glad. Because as soon as the word _blood_ appeared in my mind, I didn't feel thirsty like I used to.

_"Thanks,"_ I mouthed.

He nodded. Alice, walking next to Jasper, gleamed a smile at me.

"Here it is," Sam said through a pained voice.

My eyes focused on the tag on the door to the principal's office.

When Sam met my eyes, he had a sore expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Alice sighed. "He hasn't been complaining about how hard your arm's clutching to his," she answered, and then pointed.

I removed my arm so fast that it was beyond human speed.

Crap, I complained internally. I'll have to remind myself to move more slowly.

"Sorry."

Sam faced me directly and touched my arm and shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, June," he said gently. "I was like that when I first started here last year."

"Come on, let's go inside, we only have 15 minutes before class starts," Alice said.

Sam turned around and knocked on the door.

_"Come on,"_ a voice said from behind the door.

He opened the door and guided me slowly into the office. My eyes scanned the area. Plants. At the window, on the wooden desk, on top of the bookshelf, and by the wall behind the desk. I breathed in the air slowly. Lavender, wood, and dust reached into my nose. And a very sweet, delicious scent. My throat immediately started aching.

"Ah, yes, Miss Yu," the man behind the desk addressed. He went around it with papers in his hands. Sam held my hand and accepted the papers for me: my class schedule and map.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

The veins on the principal's neck moved. Pumped blood. Blood. His heart pounded in my ears. My throat started...

_No!_ I fought to keep myself calm and in control. I stopped myself from inhaling air. It would be too much if I... _Stop it!_

"She's a little bit shy, sir," Sam said to the principal, and then pulled my hand toward the door. "We should take her to class now. Better to let her get to know the place."

We were out of the room in five long seconds. I breathed in the smell of blood that roamed the hallway. It would take some getting used to. At least it didn't hurt as much as the beginning. When I was still new to it all.

A hand touched my shoulder.

"Well done, June," Jasper whispered. "You've done well."

Alice peeked around Jasper at me. "You're gonna be fine."

Sam wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and tightened his grip on my hand. He flashed a proud smile at me.

I was proud of myself, too. But we still had a whole day to get through. I will have to be very careful with myself. Maybe I could...

"You got a 30 minute free period after lunch," Alice said in a low voice. When I looked at her, her eyes were unfocused. She was probably looking into my future. "If you sneak out of the school grounds with Thomas, I'm sure you'll be able to find something before class begins."

Sam patted my shoulder. "It's gonna be fine, June," he whispered. I gripped his hand. Tight. After several long minutes and seconds of walking at human speed, we finally reached the room to my first lesson.

I internally braced myself for the challenge.

**Renesmee**

I waited at the door to the cafeteria. Jacob appeared first.

"Hey, beautiful," he said with a wide smile.

"Hey, handsome," I responded and greeted him with a light kiss.

There were at least 15 students in the hall, but it didn't matter. I was happy and I didn't care if anybody witnessed it.

The others came about two minutes later. But there were someone missing. "Where are June and Tommy?" I asked.

"Eating somewhere else," Aunt Alice answered. She opened her mouth widely, revealing her sharp teeth.

"Oh."

As soon as I paid for my tray of food, I started looking for Martie. He was sitting with his crowd at the same table where he invited me to sit at on my first day at school.

He turned his glance to us and met my eyes, then he wiggled his finger: an invitation.

Dad patted my shoulder.

"Go," he said, and then whispered. "He's inviting you to sit with him. You could use some time together." His gaze met Jacob's. "Have fun."

Jake and I walked to Martie's table. Mark, the school team's quarterback, waved in politeness t us. Danielle, the head cheerleader, winked. Their other friends appeared casual to our presence. Clearly we weren't as inviting to them than Martie. Julie, Martie's cousin, looked even more annoyed.

"Hey," Martie greeted.

"Hey," I said as we settled beside him. When I greeted the others, they simply said "hey" with less enthusiasm. "So how was the summer?" I asked Martie to ignore their uncomfortable gazes.

"Terrific. I worked full-time at the marine park. Learned a lot from the marine biologists. I never knew there was a type of shark that hunted _so_ poorly. I mean, they swam like so slowly that a seal was fast enough to get away. And they're like one of the biggest shark species in history."

"A Greenlank shark," I confirmed. "Their feeding habits are still being experimented, because scientists have found seals and fish in their stomachs despite their slow swimming that was usually required to catch something as fast as a seal."

He grinned widely. "Yeah." Something about his impression told me he was impressed with my knowledge.

"Wow," Danielle muttered with a hint of sarcasm. "You know a lot about fish, don't you?"

I glared at her for a short second. For some reason, she and the others weren't as accepting of me and the rest of my family as Martie.

Everyone had shyed away from us since after my first month in high school. Dad said I would get used to the idea of humans repelling themselves from us. But it probably wasn't anytime soon.

"Well, you would know a lot, too, if you'd just spend more time watching Discovery Channel instead of shopping for clothes and cosmetics," Martie countered, clearly hearing the hidden insult behind her words.

She frowned.

Jake and some of the others chuckled.

A sound of heavy stepping echoed in my ears. It was unfamiliar. I followed it out of curiosity. It wasn't anything I had ever heard before. It sounded so deep, so heavy.

Then I found the source at the corner of the cafeteria, where the sound echoed from a pair of motorcross boots. I automatically looked up at the wearer. A tall boy walked to a table where the basketball team sat. Dark hair with matching eyes, accompanied by a black leather jacket to match his masculine body, the boy had abnormally good features with exotic facial structure and a olive skin tone. His beauty was almost comparable to my family's. I wasn't sure why, but something about this unfamiliar boy reminded me of someone. Someone very close.

"Who's that?" I asked, my eyes never left the man.

"Logan Sanchez," Martie said. "He's new in town. His family moved up here from Hawaii a few weeks ago. His dad bought a farm from the Cornells; they moved to Portland."

The boy, Logan, looked up and met my eyes.

The way he looked up straight made his features more perfected. That's when I realized who he reminded me of.

I immediately turned around to look at him. His eyes found mine. Curiosity and humor emitted from them. I felt guilty for finding the new guy attractive.

But what was there to feel guilty about? I was only attracted to him because he reminded me so much of Jacob. So there really wasn't anything I should be ashamed of.

My eyes flickered to my family's table: they were all looking at me; Dad flashed a teasing grin. It made me even more self-conscious and embarrassed.

**June**

I drained my elk in a matter of seconds. I had gotten so much blood into my system I could probably go on without it for a week. Carlisle had said that a vampire could go on for two weeks without feeding after his full meal, but since I was still a newborn, my thirst came _a little_ faster and stronger.

I turned around, about to track down Sam. But then I spotted him sitting on top of a huge boulder. His smile made his face glow like an angel.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm just amazed. You're so good at this newborn thing," he said.

I shrugged. "I just do whatever comes naturally. Although you probably have something to do with that."

"What do you mean?"

"You helped prepare me mentally for my change, didn't you? You, Carlisle and the others taught me everything that there was to know." _So did Bella._

He jumped down from the rock, landing soundlessly in front of me. "You wanna hunt some more or are you done?"

"Done, definitely. I could go on without feeding for a few days."

He pulled me close to him and pressed his warm lips against mine. I was suddenly burning with passion. So much passion that it made me want to hum and sing it all out.

His hands placed around my hips exactly where they fit. Then they moved up to my arms, and then he pulled away.

"We have to get back," he breathed with a laughter echoing from his throat.

I laughed, too.

**Renesmee**

June and Tommy got back to school about five minutes before classes began.

My first class after lunch was gymnastics with Aunt Alice and June.

As soon as everyone went out to the open field, Coach Grenard started calling names. Most of the names I'd already heard, and then there were new ones. But the only one that meant anything was Logan Sanchez.

So, he will be having gym with us for the rest of the semester.

"All right, let's start with jogging to warm up for our trickster game," coach said.

Trickster, again? Once every couple of weeks there would be a trickster game that involved testing the chosen one's sense of hearing and touch blindfolded. How many times will it take for him realize that some of his students had an incredible sense of hearing?

June moved to stand beside Aunt Alice, her expression showed concern and caution. Logan flickered his eyes in our direction. Looking directly at me, I found my gaze locked.

He walked through the crowd of students and stopped beside me. The other students eyed at us curiously.

"Hi, I'm Logan Sanchez," he said politely.

I nodded. "Renesmee. Everyone calls me 'Nessie'."

His lips curled up and formed a smile. "Then I guess I'll call you Nessie."

I found myself relating him to Jacob again. His features were so good that I could bet would outshine most vampires.

I looked up front.

"Nice to meet you."

Thankfully, our conversation ended at Coach Grenard's demand that we follow him.


	8. Unwanted Hunger

**CHAPTER 7: UNWANTED HUNGER**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

**Renesmee**

Gotta admit, it was easier than I had imagined.

This was my fifth order. It wasn't as hard as Tommy had described. Then again, he never liked working as a waiter.

"I usually spent my hours at the dishwashing machine," he had said. "I did not enjoy being behind the counter. In fact, I hated it. Whenever my bosses or co-workers told me to be the waiter, I always wished I could refuse. Those hard-working clean-ups and deliveries couldn't compare to pressure laid upon me by the customers. I _always_ got the order wrong. Cash register, never learned how to use it completely. So yeah, I hated it."

He really needed some perspective and practice. Now that he was a vampire, I'm sure he could handle taking orders better than he used to.

A middle-aged man with the large blond beard rose his arm. Mr Cooner. "'Scuse me, miss," he called.

I approached him. "Can I have a tuna burrito, please?" he ordered. His eyes focused on me. I wrote down his order.

Really, it wasn't that hard.

"I'll be back soon with your dish," I said.

He didn't look away from me, but I ignored him.

The sound of dingling bells and wind swinging in from the open door pulled away my attention. "Welcome," I said.

My breath caught. Logan looked at me with the same look that he gave everyone else at school today. A middle-aged man stood right behind him. Based on the similar physical features he shared with Logan, I guessed they were related. The only difference being he had a vaster pair of lips, a scar across his left brow. His build was slighter than Logan's.

"Hey," Logan said with a grin across his face.

I breathed deeply, and asked, "Table for two?"

"Yeah."

I showed them to one of the smallest tables in the café and handed over two menus.

"I'll be back soon to take your order," I said and wandered away without looking at Logan.

**Jacob**

When I walked into the coffee shop, my eyes scanned the inside to find the first person I wanted to find. Her scent was everywhere, intoxicating every corner of the place. The gravitational pull I always felt lured my attention toward a door at the end of the café.

And then she emerged.

Man, she was beautiful even in a waittress uniform. She saw me and immediately flashed a smile in my direction. Her brown eyes gleamed as always.

"Hi," I said, keeping my voice low and casual.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked.

I made my way to the counter and settled on one of the barstools. "Black coffee will be good," I ordered.

How ironic of me to order black coffee at a place named after it. But what the heck.

She noted my order. "I'll be right back with your coffee."

She began to leave.

"Don't keep me waiting."

She turned over her shoulder at me for a short moment and winked before disappearing behind the kitchen door. I started looking around the place again.

Logan Sanchez sat at a corner table with an older man. I assumed that was his dad. His eyes flickered around, and then found my gaze.

I waved my hand to be polite.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said, waving back.

"We... we go to school together."

He nodded.

"I know," he replied. "I've seen you in the cafeteria. You're friends with Nessie, right?"

"Boyfriend," I corrected. He nodded in acknowledgement.

I wasn't sure why, because it was easy to tell he wasn't a bloodsucker. But something about him made me uneasy. The way he said Nessie's nickname didn't help. He had made himself an acquaintance on short notice.

Just then, a sound of creaking door sounded in my ears and I found myself looking at its direction.

She laid the coffee cup on the counter in front of me.

I shot a gleaming smile. "Thanks."

She smiled widely. "Feel like going out tonight?"

I rested my elbow on the table and my chin on top of my knuckle. "With you, always."

She tease-punched my shoulder, the gleaming smile on her face shifted to one of amusement.

"My shift ends at eight. Pick me up then?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'll call Edward to let him know."

She nodded, then looked over her shoulder at the kitchen door as if making sure that no one was listening. She redirected her glance at Logan and his dad, then back to me and leaned an inch closer.

"I have to get back to work. So enjoy your coffee and I'll see you later," she spoke barely above a whisper. Then just like that, she walked away from the counter and back into the kitchen.

I took a sip from the coffee, then put it back on the table and slowly traced around the edges with my index and middle fingers.

My phone buzzed. I didn't know who would call. I had expected it to be from Rachel or Paul, maybe even Leah and Seth, or Embry or Quil before I checked the screen. I hadn't expected it to be from Sam.

"Hey, Sam, whazzup?" I greeted.

_"Hello, Jake,"_ he said on the other end. _"Just wanted to see how you're doing."_

I didn't buy it. "Sam, you're talking to me. And I know you don't usually make social calls."

He snorted. _"You notice lotsa things, Jake."_ I waited. _"True, I do have something up my sleeve, but this time it _really_ is a social call."_

"Okay... what is it?"

He didn't speak for a minute. _"Emily's pregnant."_

"Wha... wha... When did you...?"

_"We just found out yesterday. Em was feeling dizzy, so I took her to the hospital. Dr. Marlon checked her out, and found out that she was pregnant."_

I was speechless. Happy for both of them. "Wow, um, congratz."

_"Thanks. I haven't told the rest of the pack yet, but I'm planning to do it tomorrow."_

I nodded. In my heart, I was happy for Sam and Emily. They deserved as much as happiness as I do with Nessie, especially after what they'd gone through years ago, and what happened six months ago.

Like me, Sam was leader of his wolf pack - or rather the Alpha wolf - and had been so since he phased for the first time. I, as the heir of the last Alpha wolf, gave him the position to avoid the responsibilities. What I hadn't counted on though, was that Renesmee's birth would prompt me to change my mind. Of course, I had no interesting fighting for Alpha position with Sam.

But when he threatened to kill Nessie's mom, the woman who used to be the love of my life, I embraced my rightful place as Alpha to break away from his command - no one could disobey the Alpha even if they wanted to. No one but me. After Nessie's birth, our packs resolved the tensions that once turned us into enemies; all because I had imprinted on the girl who Sam had worried about being a threat to the local humans in Forks, and, by pack law, made her untouchable.

It wasn't easy in the beginning, but at least we found common ground again. In a matter of months, we mended the broken bond. Although Paul became the most entertwined family member soon afterwards: he married my sister.

Nessie turned down my proposal, but only because she wasn't ready. And I obliged to whatever made her happy.

Hope is eternal, after all.

**Renesmee**

Curfew at midnight. Great. At least my dad didn't say no. Mom was always supportive, but even she agreed on the curfew.

Most teenagers snuck out at night to hang out with their boyfriends, but with my family, sneaking out was not an option. Dad would catch my thoughts faster than I could reach my window; Uncle Jasper could ease my tension; Uncle Emmett would catch me before I even reached the woods. Tommy had more power to stop me than any of them, but he was more recent with the times, so he would understand.

The rest of my family would probably try to stop me, even though they held no grudge against Jacob.

Jacob emerged from his house when I reached his house with my motorcycle.

"Hey," he said before I turned off the battery-running engine.

After making sure that everything was correctly turned off I darted to his side. His smile glowed naturally as I opened my arms.

"Come on in," he said, gently nudging me inside his house.

We spent the next hour eating pizza and discussing the latest music productions. June fit well into our topic; her enchanted voice was worth selling to millions - if she didn't have to hide the fact that she wasn't human.

After dinner, he showed his mad skills in mechanical engineering by attaching a new/old engine to his Volkswagen, aka the Rabbit, as he called it. The old one had nearly gone out of age. I learned everything about engineering from him and my family, so it was easy to see what needed to be done to make the vehicle run better. I could've fixed the car in minutes, but I enjoyed watching him do it. The way he showed interest in not just everything I did but also in his own passion about mechanism made him a very independent person. And I liked the way he looked when he was slightly sweaty. Handsome and attractive. The black tank top doubled the features.

Every now and then he would meet my glance from the corner of his eyes, and then he would smile: the same smile that made him glow.

"Do you actually like watching me work?" he asked while focusing on his car. "You've been stealing glances at me for the past 30 minutes."

Wanting to _show_ him how much I liked it, I shot to his side and pressed my hand against the back of his neck.

He burst into laughter 12 seconds later, then stood up straight and faced me, removing from my hold. "You think I'm sexy?"

Turned on by his question and still mesmerized by his mechanical sexiness, I pressed my hands against his face to show him what I thought.

**Jacob**

Transparent images and thoughts ran through my mind. I saw me knelt beside my Rabbit, replacing the old engine. Seeing myself from this angle was odd, but totally familiar: it was part of Nessie's charm.

What surprised me the most was the thoughts that came with the pictures. _She thinks I'm sexy?_

My hands automatically pulled her in, and I pressed my lips against hers with so much speed and hunger. Our hands tangled around each other. Every shift of her thoughts made me want to pull her closer still. Before I knew it, my tongue reached inside her mouth.

I was helplessly caught in her magic.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

A strong but comfortable sting reached in through our skins, melting us together like a glowing surge of energy brought together by gravitational magic.

Thermal magic channeled through our heating bodies... we wanted this.

**Jacob**

Every instinct in me was telling me to pull her closer, because this was what she wanted. And as much as I _wanted_ to comply, something in the back of my mind whispered. _What would the rest of her family think? How will this affect her? Do I care about her enough to end this?_

Fighting against every grain in my fibral being, I pulled away... slowly. I kept my eyes focused on my feet to avoid eye contact. That's when I realized I was topless.

Her uneasy breathing echoed in my ears, matching mine.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, still not looking at her. It would be too much.

"Why?" she asked. "I'm not."

Her thoughts reeled back into my mind. "I know." I breathed and fought internally to keep myself in check. "You showed me as much." When my breathing was back in order, I looked up to face her. Her eyes burned with hunger and desire. Hunger I was more than entitled to end. I fought to concentrate her face. "Nessie, I want this as much as you do. But if I am to be the right boyfriend for you, then I must do the right thing. And having sex is basically a number one boyfriend crime to your parents, which will definitely affect our relationship. Not to mention give your dad motivation to come here and kill me."

She smiled. And gosh, if she wasn't goddess-like pretty with that smile. "Sex? Is that what we were about to do? she asked.

I nodded, thankful that no one was around to see us. She shook her head, her smile never faltered from her face. "He is pretty old fashioned," she went on. "But yes, I guess doing it like this wouldn't get on his good side. Or the rest of my family."

I nodded agreeingly and took shallow breaths to calm my hunger. It worked rather slowly, but effective. She took in a deep breath, and then reached over the Rabbit to grab my top. I ran my head through it.

"I-I should go," she said and began to leave.

"I'll drive you."

She turned around the same time she said, "No, it's okay." She shot a hungry smile that turned my stomach over. "I'll, uh... get back on my bike. And you should be working on your... car."

I nodded and grinned casually. "Okay."

We stood there, staring silently at each other. It was easy to see the hunger that still lingered in her eyes.

"Oh, what the heck," she muttered and darted toward me. She jumped up to reach my height and kissed my lips. It was a quick kiss, but also a good one. Her hand landed on the left side of my chest, where my heart beat.

She glowed at me with her endless smile. "Just so you know, I was enjoying it."

My own smile widened, showing my teeth. "Good, 'cause I was too."

A few seconds passed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said and left before I could say another word.

_I love you._


	9. Tune

**CHAPTER 8: TUNE**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

**Edward**

Nessie admitted to have made out with Jacob. Or, as the recent teens would say, almost "got to second base". I cannot believe they did that.

It may be common for most people to get to that level nowadays, but I was from a different era where young women weren't to be treated that way. I would not let that happen to my daughter.

At least Jacob had thought of that. He had the decency to stop himself before they crossed the line.

I inhaled the air in the backyard to calm myself. Jasper stood at the door, reading my every emotion, and - as I was well aware - looking out for any sign of aggression.

Emmett came out and joined his side.

_"C'mon, Edward,"_ he thought. _"It's pretty common for two loving people to get hitched like that."_ I ignored him.

Jazz was glad that I calmed myself down, because that meant he was off the hook. Thomas was thinking the same thing.

_"If he goes after anyone in our family, I'm afraid I can't watch,"_ he thought.

_"Wonder if I can stop him with my power."_ June. _"Sigh. At least he's not killing Jacob."_

I didn't really care.

Silent footsteps echoed in my ears. The silent thoughts already told me who it was. She slipped her fingers into my palm and found where they fit.

"Don't be so harsh on them, Edward," Bella said. "They're old enough to make their own decisions."

I gritted my teeth. But I wasn't angry at Jacob right now - I was angry at the situation. No matter how I saw it, Bella was right. Renesmee was old enough to make her own choices. Didn't mean I have to like it, though.

"That doesn't mean they can just -"

"I know," she interrupted. "But if you get too harsh on them, it's only a matter of time before she goes into a rebellious stage. And I know _someone_ would be glad to support that side of her."

Emmett chuckled. _"I _sure_ would. That would make a bad-ass funny scene."_

I growled without looking at him. Bella patted my shoulder. "Just think about it."

She turned my face in her direction and landed a light kiss on my cheek. It felt almost good enough to relieve the anger. And then she left.

_"She's got a point, Edward,"_ Alice reasoned while clearing her wardrobe... again. I wanted to tell her to mind her own business.

_"He probably won't listen."_ Emmett thought while bouncing a tennis ball in his hand. _"Bro never listened to anyone when Bella was human. Sure enough, he won't listen to anyone when the situation regards Renesmee, either. At least she's not in danger, just a new state of adulthood."_

_"Please, Edward, don't hurt Jacob. Nessie'll be very unhappy,"_ Esme pleaded internally.

Great. Everyone was telling me I was being unreasonable.

A flow of calm washed through me, quenching away my anger so fast I didn't know how it happened for a second... until I realized the source.

"Jasper," I warned.

"Sorry, Edward, your anger is running all over the place," he said. "You need a clear head to think."

Without the anger clouding my brain, reason replaced my judgment. It became much easier to see things from a different perspective then. Jacob had been there for Nessie all his life and all her life. It will always be that way. At least they paid enough respect for the family to not let things get out of hand, I gave him that much credit.

"Thank you, Jasper," I said.

He stood beside me and patted my shoulder. "C'mon, let's get inside," he said. "I'd like to get you distracted -" His thoughts grew a bit smug and erotic, "- before I let you loose." _Seduction's usually the best distraction,_ he thought the same time he turned me toward the house.

I laughed. He must've learned that phrase from Thomas and Emmett.

**Thomas**

The next two days passed without much drama. Edward had a mature and well-mannered conversation with Jacob, and he'd agreed to be more caring about Nessie's situation: Eddie pointed out that no matter how mature she looked, she was still a child. Thank God. I would have hated the idea of watching them tear at each other and not stepping in. June was curious about what her power might be able to accomplish, but she wasn't eager to see her two new family members fight, either.

On Friday morning, Emmett talked everyone into playing football at a large field 70 miles outside of town for Sunday. Esme's gallery will have an open sale, which meant she would have to spend a lot of time working on the setting and selling pieces.

"I'll see you later?" I said to June when we reached the hallway that led to two different directions; my biology and her French.

She nodded. "I have French, but Alice'll be with me. I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

I grinned.

We headed to our separate classes. I already couldn't wait to get it over with.

"Don't even try to make everyone think they hear the bell and see the clock strike lunch time, Thomas," Jasper objected.

Pfft. He didn't have Eddie's mind reading, and yet his skill to pick up my mood gave him a clear view of what ran through my mind.

**June**

Alice waited for me outside of my French classroom to accompany me to the school cafeteria.

"Nice job," Alice complimented my advanced French. "I didn't know you could speak French so well."

Mrs. Dahlia had asked some of her students to tell her what she had written on the black board. I was the first to raise my hand and translate it to perfect English and then fill in the blank spots. I could see how my life as a human school girl had prepared me well for that: my dad hired a tutor to teach me French every day after school, because I didn't have much time to work on it and failed a test.

"C'mon, let's get to the cafeteria," I said, grinning, and picked up our pace _very_ slightly. My mind raced.

A sound echoed through the walls. I paused and looked in its direction, which led down a long hallway.

"Is that the drama department?" I asked. The sound of piano continued to echo through the walls.

"Yeah," Alice answered. "They have a choir room that needs serious some work, though. I've never seen one so small. They don't even have many instruments. Just a piano, a guitar, a set of drums and a saxophone."

Following the sound, I made a humanly quick pace down the hall. The music sounded from the choir room. When I got there, I examined it through the door glass. The room was mildly small, enough to fit in ten people at most. In the middle sat a man at a black piano. His fingers carried across the keys very smoothly, like they had minds of their own.

It was fairly easy to recognize the melody he was playing.

_Sound of the Month_ by Felancia Pelabo.

The music oozed into my ears so smoothly that my voice floated up to the surface. For a short moment, I thought about the times I'd performed at Juilliard. Though the memories were human and blurry, and felt somewhat distant, it was still something that was worth remembering. All those times I sang on a stage, performed in front of hundreds of people.

My throat itched to release the music it was hearing. I allowed my voice to carry the tune of the piano, combining them.

The music came to an abrupt halt. The player turned around.

I stopped singing, but the urge to sing still lingered in my throat.

He stood up and came to the door. That's when I started examining him instead of the piano and the music he played.

Exotic facial features that screamed Mexican and stylish, with dark hair covering his long forehead. His shoulders were widened by his black shirt. Would've found myself attracted to his appealing sexiness if I didn't have Sam.

"I'm sorry, may I ask who you are?" he said.

His scent blew into my nose. The sound of his pumping heart that contained blood thudded in my ears. I fought to control myself without breathing too deeply. The urge to sing had faded away.

"June," I answered, using part of the oxygen that was still in my throat. "I'm new."

He gave a polite smile. "Me too. I'm Logan."

I nodded.

"June," Alice called and peaked around the corner. "Everyone's waiting. Come on."

I gave Logan one brief glance and then walked toward Alice. She had her arm around mine in an instant.

"That was a little bit too fast for human pacing," she said, obviously missed my almost loss of control.

"I almost lost control," I muttered, clutching her hand around my arm.

"Oh, no, you wouldn't have." Her tone sounded as-matter-of-factly. "Seriously, you did a very good job. Not as good as Bella did, but still very good. In fact, you did better than Thomas. _He_ almost lost control once or twice." She paced faster, tugging my arm. "Let's go, or I think he'll go crazy."

Her eyes were staring at nothing. That probably meant she was looking into the nearest future. I took in the contamined smell of all sorts of delicious food and held it there.

When we got there, Sam made an impatient pace toward us. Walking as slowly as humans obviously wasn't something he liked. Not that I blamed him.

As soon as he came to my side, his lips lifted up and formed a grin on his face.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Sorry," I said, using part of the oxygen in my throat. To make it easier, I made myself smile.

His hand ran through my fingers and guided me toward the counter to buy food.


	10. Speed

**CHAPTER 9: SPEED**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

**_By the way, Happy Valentine's Day to all._**

* * *

**Renesmee**

We all sat at the field to watch a group of boys try out for the track team. Martie told us that he was trying out, so I decided to cheer him on. Jacob and my rest of family agreed to for cheer him as well. Dad thought it was the least we could do for him after what he had done for us.

As soon as Coach Grenard gave his signal, everyone ran with all the speed they could exert. Oddly enough, because I could have made it across the field in 1/3 of a second, watching Martie and his friends run didn't feel boring. In fact, I felt excited for him.

Two guys outran the rest. Martie tagged right behind them, giving all the speed he could provide to keep up.

Go, Martie!

my mind screamed. _You can do it._

The others behind him looked like they were attempting to run past him with no succcess.

"Whoo! Go, Martie!" Tommy cheered with excitement.

"Come on, man, you can do it!" Jacob said without screaming.

"Oh, no," Aunt Alice said. I turned my eyes to look at her for a split second. Her eyes stared at nothing, but I knew that she was looking into Martie's future. "He won't make it. There's a stone on the road. He's gonna step on it, and he's gonna fall."

My eyes scanned and found a tiny rock on a turning point of the track field. He will fail?

"Five seconds."

I looked back at him. Jacob looked worried now, too. Is there nothing we could do?

"Thomas!" Aunt Alice said in a warning tone.

In that exact second, the two boys who were in the lead made a quick leap into the air, stretching their bodies and legs forward as if they were trying to jump over something. But there was nothing there. Martie ran right at the rock on his path. And then he leaped, too. The others behind him did the same. I instantly realized what had happened; Tommy must've used his power.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. His gaze lost focus, met mine and shrugged with a light grin on his face - a gesture of admission in light humor.

I decided to let it go. The important thing was that Tommy cared about Martie enough to help him out. An accident like that would've ruined his chance.

"I still can't believe I made it," Martie chimed after coach told him he made it on the team. What he couldn't figure out was what coach meant about all of them doing a joke by jumping into midair.

"Congratulations," I said.

* * *

Sunday was the day we planned to play football.

Jacob arrived in time for Esme to make lunch for both of us.

Dad and Mom picked out the equipment for today's football game from the basement and then went on to enjoy the rest of the free hours with classics; Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Tommy, and June went out for quick hunting trip; Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett took the liberty to replace the Jeep's rusted engine with a new piece; Grandpa had to make four or five phone calls to the hospital to get an update on the conditions of his patients and then go over an e-mail report; and Grandma prepared lunch boxes in case Jacob and I got hungry later.

Once everyone was ready, we parted for the forest.

"All right, we're here," Aunt Alice said when a large open field came into view.

Tommy took off toward the clearing.

"Wha...?" Uncle Emmett muttered, and quickly darted after him.

By the time we got there, they were wrestling against each other.

"Thomas, Emmett," Grandma called in a tone that said, "stop this nonsense right now." It wouldn't be the first time they lashed at each other. Although they hadn't done it as much since we moved to Cloverdale; June's intiation into the family cancelled out this tendency completely. But now, they were back at being feisty with each other.

The two of them immediately released their grips on each other.

"I got here first," Tommy screeched.

"No, _I_ did," Uncle Emmett complained. "I caught up to you and got here one foot before you."

"You need to get your vampire eyes checked," he accused.

Uncle Emmett growled. June prepared to spring at him.

"Boys," Grandma warned. "Don't make a fuss out of something so simple and unnecessary."

With that, they refrained.

Everyone relaxed on a pile of rocks while Mom and Grandpa drew lines across the field. The afternoon sky was covered in dark clouds, and a nearby thunderstorm that oozed a few miles towards our spot.

Aunt Alice went blank the whole time, checking for the proper weather.

"It's time," she declared.

And then the sky rumbled with a sound of deafening thunder.

"Alright, let's get started," Uncle Emmett roared. "Team Boy vs Team Girl."

Team Boy vs Team Girl? Seriously, that was the best he could come up with?

"Don't worry, I'll back you up," Tommy's words to June sounded in my ears, not that he bothered to keep it quiet.

"Oh, no, you don't, bro," Uncle Emmett complained, pointing his finger. "We're going boys against girls. You can team next time." He refocused on the game. "I'm calling the shots."

Grandma rested on the rocks and naturally assumed the role of umpire.

Grandpa tossed the coin. The boys team got the headstart.

"Okay! Ready, set... hut!" Uncle Emmett called.

* * *

The next hours passed in a blur. The boys' team made 15 touchdowns, 7 two-point conversions and 10 extra points; and our team made 14 touchdowns, 8 two-points and 8 extras.

It would have gotten a lot worse for us if Mom hadn't blocked Tommy's and Dad's powers. Of course, Uncle Emmett thought it was unfair, since we had Aunt Alice on our side. Then again, they had Jacob, a shape-shifter who, for some reason, Aunt Alice couldn't see in her ability of foresight.

A brief tiff occured between Tommy and Uncle Emmett, but with Uncle Jasper's and June's gifts, it was easy to maintain a peaceful game. Uncle Jasper was very impressed with June's restraint when he could sense anger building inside her so clearly. Mom smiled while watching his impression. When I asked her about it, she told me it was because June reminded her of herself as a newborn.

"We need a touchdown," Aunt Rosalie whispered during our regroup.

"How?" I asked, my voice subtler than a whisper.

Aunt Alice shot a look at Mom.

"No way," she said.

"You could try," Aunt Alice whispered. "June's the strongest in our team, that could be our advantage. We just need you to shield us long enough."

"What are you talking about?" Aunt Rosalie complained.

Aunt Alice turned her gaze to all of us. "Bella'll shield us from Edward's mind-reading and Thomas's illusion. Rose can back her up while I get the ball for Nessie, then she'll toss it to June. We need a touchdown and she's the fastest we got."

"But Dad's really fast," I whispered.

"I know, but I know how to avoid him. We just need to keep him away from June." She smiled confidently.

None of us spoke for a half-second. We just looked at June.

"All right, let's do this," she said, and nodded confidently.

"Bella, keep everyone shielded, we don't want them to know what we're planning."

"Like your minds being shielded doesn't tell that he already knows we're up to a strategy," she said sarcastically.

"Hey," Uncle Emmett called, a hint of impatience appeared in his tone. "You girls done yet?"

Aunt Alice looked up and said, "We're done."

Everyone got into position again. I held the ball in place.

"Ready, set... hut!" Aunt Rose cued.

Tossing the ball out of my hands, Aunt Rose caught it and then tossed it to Aunt Alice while everyone scattered.

She darted through the boys' line and ran across the field, with only Uncle Jasper and Tommy following her back. Right before Dad dodged around Aunt Rose to distract Mom, Aunt Alice tossed the ball to me. I jumped as high as I managed until I caught it in my hand. Gravity began to pull me down again, I used the briefest second I had to spot for June.

"Go after June, boys," Dad called just as I tossed the ball to her.

June jumped across the field right before Uncle Emmett could tackle her; her body twitched until her back faced the ground.

Touchdown!

"Oh, my God!" Aunt Alice shouted in an alarming tone just as my feet touched the grass again.

Everyone turned to face her. Her alarmed expression equalled her voice.

"Something's coming."

We all rushed to her side. Dad's face hardened as he looked into her vision. Whatever was coming was bad. Very bad.

"What do you see, Alice?" Uncle Jasper asked.

"The Volturi?" Mom bit out.

Her eyebrows cringed together and formed a slight wrinkle in the middle.

"I'm not sure. It's almost... unreadable. Whatever it is, it's not vampire."

Dad looked toward the woods opposite from our direction.

"It's strong, too," Aunt Alice continued.

Uncle Emmett looked in the same direction. A grin formed across his face.

"Well, let's find out what it is," he said excitedly.

He started to move toward the woods when Aunt Rosalie caught his arm. Grandpa rushed to his side and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"It's not a good idea to rush into something we don't know about," he reasoned. His focus shifted to Aunt Alice again. "Do you see what it is, Alice?"

Her brows hardened more. "Barely. It's something I've never seen before." Pause. "I can see its eyes. Teeth. It behaves like an animal, but very different at the same time." Her eyes came back to reality as she said, "it's coming this way."

A warm hand grabbed mine. I knew who's it was before I looked.

"I'm gonna take Nessie outta here," Jacob told Mom.

She nodded.

"Be safe, Jacob," Dad said.

We were facing something potentially dangerous and they wanted me to be safe?

Jacob screamed and growled as he exploded. His clothes tore apart and became small pieces of shreds. Where he was standing was now replaced by a bear-sized wolf. He huffed and lowered himself to the ground. His eyes focused on me.

I shook my head. "No! I want to stay."

A cold hand touched my shoulder.

"Nessie, go," Mom ordered. "Please."

I shook my head again. We were a family, and I wanted to stay and help.

Dad came to our side.

"Nessie, listen," he said gently and urgently at the same time. "You're not as strong as the rest of us. We'll be okay." His tone sounded convincing.

But I...

"Please," Mom pleaded again.

Their words sank in faster than my mind could apprehend, and I felt calm and compliable in an instant. Jacob huffed again. I climbed to his shoulder-blades. He rose to his legs.

"Be careful."

We were nearly at the trees when Aunt Alice screamed, "Stop!"

No sooner did Jake come to abrupt halt at the first of the tree line than we see something lunge towards us in a blur.


	11. History

**CHAPTER 10: HISTORY**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

**Renesmee**

Jacob threw us both to the side as the creature lunged towards us. It barely flew past my back when he jumped out of the way.

The others were in front of us by the time I looked up.

"No," Dad snarled.

Their bodies blocked my view, but I could see it.

The frame of a huge bear with jet black fur; the resemblance reminded me of Sam Uley: the Alpha wolf of a pack living in my hometown. When the creature rose to stand upright, its height surprised me: this creature was taller than anything I've ever seen. Even the packs' any one wolf couldn't compare to this.

But this was a wolf. The snout and its sharp, rumbling fangs proved that. Even the frame around its eyes, the long fur and the tips of its ears.

But this was no ordinary wolf. It wasn't even a shape-shifter like the one next to me. This was completely different. Its eyes weren't focused like an animal with intelligence. Rather it had the expression of a wild animal catching its prey. As though wanting to confirmation my suspicion, its hindlegs lifted off the ground. The moment it stood on its backlegs - without wabbling - it showed the massive size of a black bear. More massive shoulderblades and muscles, I wasn't sure if it was a bear or a wolf.

The creature growled.

"Go!" Tommy growled. "We'll handle it!"

Jacob came to my side, and I climbed up on his back again.

He immediately turned the other way and ran into the forest with all the speed he could exert. Away from the wolf. Away from my family. Whereas I was... "Jacob, go back," I screamed.

He didn't halt, but his voice rumbled.

"Jake!" I said his name sharply. "Jake, turn around! We have to go back!"

He barked in protest this time.

I pressed my hands into his fur to tell him how I would feel if anything happened to my family. Any of them.

His speed slowed, but he didn't turn around.

"Jacob!" I complained. "Turn around _now_!"

He hesitated for a moment. And then, with a barking complaint, swung around and headed back toward the field.

Dad was waiting at the end of the tree line when we arrived. He didn't look happy. I looked around for the others. No one. No creature. No Mom. No one.

"You shouldn't have turned around," he said to Jacob. His angry tone matched his expression.

I jumped off Jake's back and faced him. "Where's Mom?" I asked, ignoring his anger though I appreciated his concern. "Where're the others?"

He gave me a piercing look, but answered, "In the woods about 2 miles North." Then he turned back to Jacob. "Take her home."

"No," I complained. "I'm staying."

He glared angrily. Then his gaze shifted to the northern side of the woods.

Jacob and I turned to the same direction.

**Bella**

The ape-like wolf bared its fangs at us as we surrounded it. Its voice rumbled through its throat and chest. Its eyes moved wildly, flickering from one of us to another faster than any animal I had ever hunted. This wolf was definitely no ordinary animal.

For a moment, I wondered if this was what a real werewolf looked like. Too different than the Quileute werewolves.

Suddenly, the animal lunged right at June and Rosalie.

"No!" Thomas screamed.

June and Rose leaped up in the air to avoid getting caught. Just then, Emmett and Carlisle tackled it, sending it flying into a tree, and crashing it down. The wolf quickly rose to its feet and growled at Emmett and Carlisle, then shot its gaze to each of us and then ran toward the other side of the woods. Noted, it was running faster than an ordinary animal or human. Vampire-fast.

"What the HELL was that?" Thomas growled.

"I don't know," Alice answered. "Whatever it was, I could see it. I saw it coming toward us. But because Nessie and Jacob were there, I couldn't see clearly."

"Whatever it was, we scared it off," Emmett said, then huffed and added, "Too bad. That was fun."

"Not over yet," Jasper interjected. "We should chase it."

"Good idea," Carlisle said. "It's too dangerous to let it run amok and hurt someone in potential." His eyes shot to me. "Bella, why don't you meet up with Edward and the others in the clearing and go home."

I nodded and ran in the opposite direction.

**Renesmee**

My anxiety lessened when I spotted Mom coming in our direction. But she didn't look happy.

"What're you doing back, Nessie?" she asked through her grinding teeth and gazed at Jacob. "Take her home."

Why does everyone want to take me home? This was tiring.

"No!" I said with conviction. "I'm not a kid anymore. And I'm definitely not going to let myself get protected and pampered all the time. We fought together last spring, why can't we do it again."

Her look shifted to one of resignation.

"The wolf's already gone, Nessie," Dad intervened. "The others are chasing it as we speak. Carlisle wants us to go home."

I shook my head in disbelief. Why does everyone have to treat me like a child?

"It's not like that. It just... it doesn't need all of us to track it. Somehow, your aunt saw it coming before it did. With the six of them, they don't think it's necessary for us to help take it down."

_Does it?_ I thought.

I sniffed and gazed at where the scents directed. I tensed to follow, but Dad's words somehow calmed me down. The six of them, with Aunt Alice's sight and Tommy's illusion, they would be powerful enough against this wolf.

"Let's go home," Dad said with a calm voice, and ran an arm around Mom's waist and then headed back toward the woods.

Jake turned around and followed. I wasn't too confident about the situation, but I didn't argue.

"What _was_ that thing?" Mom asked.

The question bounced back and forth in my head.

"A werewolf," Dad answered.

Mom shot a shocked gaze at him. "A _real_ werewolf?"

Jacob huffed.

"Yes, the same kind that the Volturi tried to wipe out thousands of years ago. I didn't have time to tell you guys back there because of all the drama, but the moment I saw it in the clearing, I knew." He looked at Mom. "Remember when we were fighting Victoria?"

Victoria? Who was that?

Mom's eyebrows cringed, making a small dimple in the middle, and then asked, "What does she have to do with it?"

He snorted. "When her army came for us, I took you away from the battle to keep you safe, remember?"

She nodded, but insecurity still reigned her expression.

"And then Victoria found us and tried to distract me so that she could kill you."

Jacob released a low growl.

"When I confronted her, her thoughts went back to when James was hunting a werewolf in Siberia. I could tell in an instant that there was a difference. And then there was when we stood up against the Volturi. Aro's and Caius's minds gave me a clearer view of what werewolves were like."

"And the wolf that just came at us fit the descriptions?" I asked.

He looked up at me, with an unreadable expression and nodded.

"Is there more than one?" Mom asked.

Several seconds lingered before he finally answered. "Alice only saw one coming our way, but she can't be sure if there isn't more. At any rate, we will have to be more cautious. Unlike the Quileutes, a real werewolf only transforms once a month, under a full moon. While it's in human form, it could be anyone."

Anyone new in town, maybe?

"Logan?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "Most likely. He is the new kid in school."

He gave it some thought, and then nodded. "Quite possibly."


	12. Stressful Days

**CHAPTER 11: STRESSFUL DAYS**

**Jacob**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

The sun was on high gear today, equal to the caution in the air. It had been 4 days since the attack. The wolf had jumped into a river and got away, and because of that even Alice lost track of it.

"I don't know why, but I can't see it anymore," she said the next day.

"It's alright, Alice," Edward reassured her.

No one blamed her for having her limits. After all, no one was perfect - not even blood-suckers could escape that rule.

Since we didn't want any more bad talks and suspicions coming at us, we all agreed to continue going to school, but on a more cautious scale. Since there were ten of us, we would walk together in groups. No one was allowed to go anywhere without a partner. Nessie was worried about Martie, who didn't show up at school, but I was too worried for her sake to worry about anyone else. It took her begging for me to find out what could have happened to him. Thankfully, I was able to reassure her when Martie's friends said he was sick and needed to stay at home. One thing we all agreed on was our suspicion of the new kid, Logan, and his family.

"We should keep an eye on them to find out if there's anything suspicious," Edward said. "But it's possible that they aren't aware of their identities as Children of the Moon. I saw some of their traits in Aro's memories. Like in the old movies, werewolves lose their human consciousness when they turn. And their consciousness only returns after the change."

So that was our plan. Watch the Sanchezes and find any clue that could pinpoint us to them being real werewolves. And I will be the one to stand against them if it means protecting Renesmee from harm.

* * *

Bella, Edward and Nessie read some of the books they brought from the house while I did my math homework.

Funny thing was three Cullens moved into my house, because they thought it would be safer for me and for some of us.

"Sounds kinda ridiculous, I know," Bella whispered one night when we were hunting. "I feel the same way. But Edward's right. We don't know who this werewolf is. And it'll risky if we try to take on him alone. We were 9 vampires and he still almost got some of us."

I sighed down the frustration. At least I got Nessie in my home, even though Edward couldn't stand to look away from us every five minutes. It made being alone with her utterly impossible. And it definitely did not help that Edward could read my thoughts.

Although I was somewhat touched when the Cullens counted me as one of _them_: part of their family, even though it wasn't official.

Vampires and shape-shifters had never gotten along before. Seth, my pack member, was the first exception to this rule. He totally adapted to the Cullens and accepted them as his friends. I only became the second exception because I was imprinted on Bella's and Edward's hybrid daughter. And nothing made me happier than being in her presence. But after 8 years of living with them, I had learned to actually love the Cullens for who they were. What they were didn't matter anymore: Bella was my best friend and the love of my life since before everything changed, but I could still see was the person who still existed in there. And because of that, she was my favorite person in the world, other than Nessie; Edward, my old rival for Bella's heart, cared for her and his daughter more than anything else. I came to admire his devotion and love to his family, and his sense of righteousness that even defined his own kind; Carlisle was the easiest to like - he always was the kind-hearted and gentle-spirited. Human, vampire or werewolf didn't matter to him. For all I knew, he was probably accepting of gay people, too; Esme showed the caring and love that I once had before my mom died, and filled that role in her place. I came to love her for it, too; the other Cullens weren't the easiest but at least some of them were more likeable than some others. Blondie was definitely my least favorite person in the world, even though our common ground was our caring for Nessie.

"How're you coming with that geometry problem?" Nessie asked, putting my train of thought to a halt.

"Um... I'm not getting anywhere," I confessed.

She put down her book and came to my side to see. She was so close our cheeks almost touched.

"It's not that hard," she said, but I had stopped listening.

"Jacob!" Edward said, a sharpness echoed from his tone telling me to behave.

I immediately refocused on my homework.


End file.
